Confrontation in the Forest!
Confrontation in the Forest is Season 1 Episode 5 of Sinnoh Reborn. Plot Jonathan blinks as he wakes up in a bright white room, identical to the one he had seen before. He felt a part of his brain click together as adrenaline began flowing through him. He had been here before, somehow. And it had been after something horrible. Jon felt a distinct sense of dread as he tried to find a way out. The windows remained shut and the door refused to open. As Jonathan tugged on the door knob it fell off, falling to the floor with a muted ding. Even as he stared at the door, it fused with the wall, creating a seamless space. Jonathan: What the hell is going on? Why is this all so familiar? The floor begins to crack, causing him to stumble. He falls backwards through the floor, no sound escaping his mouth as he wakes up covered in sweat. He gasps for breath, the memory of the dream quickly fading. Jon: N-No, I have to... Remember... As he takes a glance at the clock his vision turns slightly pink. He frowns as his vision begins to blur. 3:22. He starts to sit up, but mist fills his nose. He stops and falls back onto the bed, unconscious. ---- Chimchar jumps on Jonathan's stomach, launching off of the wall to do so. Jonathan wakes up gasping and coughing as the air is driven out of his lungs. He yawns, stretching and scratching his back. Jonathan: Jeez, what time is it? He glances at the clock and sees that it's only 7:34. He rolls over, groaning as Chimchar tries to roll him back over. Jonathan: Chimchar, what do you want? Chimchar: Chim, Chim, Chimchar! His trainer takes a peek and sees Chimchar pointing to the window. Jonathan freezes slightly as he sees that it's open. He bounds over and closes it, locking it securely. Jonathan: That was closed last night, wasn't it? Sneasel: Snea, Sneasel. The trainer turns around, not having noticed Sneasel was up. Sneasel is nodding, looking somewhat annoyed. Jon: So someone or something broke in here? Did you see them? The Pokemon nods, and Jon grows increasingly excited. Jon: So you know what it looks like! But... You can't exactly tell me, can you? He sighs, sinking into his bed. Sneasel and Chimchar glance at each other and the Dark-type shrugs and sits against the wall. The camera cuts to Ben and Greg leaving their rooms, Magnemite trailing behind Ben. Greg: So you've decided to let your Pokemon follow you too? Ben: Yeah, Magnemite really enjoys being outside of its ball for so long! Isn't that right, Magnemite? Magnemite's expression changes to one of joy as it jumps around a bit, maintaining its levitation quite well. Greg: Jeez, you're getting as soft as Jonathan. Speaking of which, where is he? Did he sleep in again? As if on cue, Jonathan walks out of his room, a troubled expression on his face. Sneasel and Chimchar follow him out, eager to get out into the fresh air. Greg: There you are! Ready to get breakfast and go? Jon: Yeah, let's go! He forces himself to change his expression to one of excitement as they rush down to eat. The camera cuts to them arriving at a large gate, pulsating with energy lines around the arch. A screen on the top of the arch declares the route to lead to Oreburgh. As the trio approach the gate they're halted by two men in police uniforms. Chimchar hides behind Jon's leg, while Sneasel passive-aggressively sharpens its claws on the ground. Officer 1: Sirs, we're going to have to see some identification. Greg: Huh? Oreburgh doesn't require ID to pass. Officer 2: Unfortunately, sir, it does now. Ben: Any reason why? Officer 1: We're under strict orders not to talk about it, but, uh... He glances around before lowering his voice a bit. Officer 1: Between you and me, I think it has something to do with the incident at the mine. Officer 2: The chief thinks it was sabotage. Benjamin inhales sharply as Gregory's brow furrows. He strokes his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds while Jonathan attempts to make sense of the situation. Jon: Sabotage? There's no way. Who would be willing to injure so many people and Pokemon? The officers glance around and make a show of clearing their throats, making their voices a bit louder. Officer 1: Now show us your ID, please. The two Rowan brothers hand over a pair of lab ID cards while Jonathan awkwardly stands there. The second officer turns to him, raising an eyebrow. Officer 2: I need your ID, kid, or you can't get through. Greg: Your PokeDex doubles as an ID, Jon. It has a trainer identification card built in. Breathing a slight sigh of relief, the trainer pulls out his PokeDex and hands it to the officers. They quickly run it through a scan and hand it back, nodding. Officer 1: Alright, you three may proceed. The trio nod and move on, their Pokemon relaxing and following them. The officers turn back to the gate and walk in as a light pink mist floats towards the gate. They look up as they see the mist on their monitors, each one grabbing their Poke Balls. They relax as they see nothing outside, and glancing back at the monitors they see nothing. The camera shows a ripple in the air as something darts out of it, flying into the foliage as a blur of pink. The ripple expands and the air suddenly clears, a trail of pink mist left by the Pokemon. The camera moves back to the protagonists walking along in a content silence. The silence is interrupted by a rustling to their right, and they all turn immediately. Jon: I wonder if maybe... Maybe that thing is following me... A rustling is heard again, along with a weak cry. A Shinx limps out of the foliage, clearly wounded. It lets loose one last cry as it stares at the trio before it collapses, unconscious. Jonathan lets out a cry of alarm and rushes over, picking it up. Jonathan: Oh my Arceus... We need to do something! Ben: Let me through! The Rowan brother carefully takes Shinx out of Jonathan's arms, nodding to himself slowly. Ben: Alright, I need you two to set up the table, now! Greg and Jon scramble to assemble the table, putting it together as quickly as possible. Shinx is gently placed on the table and Ben pulls out his supplies, grimacing. Ben: This is gonna get ugly, and more than a little messy. If you have a weak stomach, Jon, I wouldn't watch. Hesitating, he nods but stays by the table. Ben examines the electric-type carefully, frowning deeply as he finds the wounds on its back legs. Ben: This is bad. Very, very bad. Whatever attacked Shinx didn't want to kill it, it wanted to humiliate it, toy with it. See these cuts here? He points carefully at several deep cuts in Shinx's back legs, causing both Greg and Jon to cringe. They nod, and Ben continues. Ben: These aren't killing wounds, the Pokemon would've gone for its back for that. Instead, it wanted to cripple it. And without proper care, Shinx probably would be crippled. Popping his knuckles, he puts on a sad smile. Ben: But proper care has arrived. He gestures to Gregory to hold the Shinx down as he applies a cleanser to the cuts first. Shinx hisses, electricity sparking off of its cheeks. The wounds fizz with infection and Ben carefully wipes it away before spraying a Potion on it. The Pokemon lets loose a tense breath, the pain fading away as the Potion is applied. He applies it to the less serious wounds around Shinx's body, being as gentle as he can. After a few minutes he breathes a sigh of relief, then reaches into his bag. Ben: It'll take a few days to heal, but it will heal. And Shinx should be good as new! After I get... this out. He pulls a pair of tweezers out of his bag, carefully grabbing something with them and pulling it out slowly. Shinx screams in pain and begins to thrash around, forcing Ben to pull it out quicker. It's a small, black piece of metal. Curious, Jon cleans it off while Ben finishes dressing Shinx's wounds. He frowns as he realizes it's not broken at all, instead seeming completely intact. Jon: Hey, Ben and Greg, when you get a minute, check this out... The two brothers look at the object, now clean of blood. Inscribed on it are intricate drawings too complicated and small to even imagine reading. It's a cylindrical shape with an indented ring at the top, seeming to indicate an opening. Jon tugs at it, but it seems to be completely attached. Greg: That didn't just break off in Shinx's leg... Ben: It was intentionally placed there. They all stare at it for a few seconds before Jon turns and puts it in his bag. Jonathan: We can study it later. For now, we need to keep moving. Though I'm not sure how we'll do that with Shinx... Ben: As much as I'd like to keep moving, we need to stay here. We don't have a safe way to transport Shinx. Greg: And if whatever Pokemon that attacked Shinx comes after us? Ben: Then we can fight it off! Combined we have five Pokemon. I'm sure it couldn't take on all five at once. Jon: If you say so. If we are going to stay here, we better set up a tent before it gets dark. We've got a few hours, but it's best to get a headstart. They split off, working on their own tasks. Ben sets up the cooking area while Greg and Jon work on setting up the tents. Before long they're all done, and they carefully move Shinx into a tent. Straightening, they stare at each other intensely before Ben interrupts the silence. Ben: Only two of us can sleep in the tents tonight, as Shinx needs the extra room. On the count of three, we- NOT IT! Startled, Jonathan stutters as Greg repeats his brother's "not it." Groaning, Jon puts his face into his hands. Jon: Do I really have to sleep outside? Greg: Yep, those are the rules. Jon: But- Ben: Nope, no excuses! Now set up your sleeping bag, unless you'd rather sleep on the cold ground. Grumbling, Jon sets up his sleeping bag as the other two enter their tents. He lays down in the bag, a bit annoyed at having to sleep in the cold. Sneasel seems to enjoy the temperature, however, a slight smile on his face as he lays down on a tree branch. Chimchar settles a few feet away from Jon, the warmth from his flame warming his trainer slightly. Jonathan slowly falls asleep, an idle part of his mind tingling in warning as foliage rustles nearby. He begins to sit up, but sees pink mist cloud his vision. Jonathan: Ch-Chim... Char... Chimchar looks over drowsily, jumping up in alarm when he sees a pink Pokemon attached to his trainer. Chimchar: CHIM, CHIMCHAAAR! He leaps at the enemy Pokemon, swiping it with its claws and forcing it off. Jonathan scrambles up, rubbing his eyes as he stands beside Chimchar. He pulls out his PokeDex and scans it immediately. PokeDex: Munna, the Dream Eater Pokemon. This Pokemon appears before people and Pokemon that are suffering from nightmares and eats their dreams. It expels a pink mist that causes sleep, generated from eating dreams. Munna's moves are Sonic Boom, Defense Curl, Yawn, and Psybeam. Jonathan: So this thing's been eating my dreams? That's nuts! Munna: Mun, Mun Mun Munna! The pink Pokemon lets loose a continuous blast of multi-colored, ringed energy at Chimchar. It blows Chimchar back, slamming him into the tree Sneasel is sleeping in. Sneasel falls, waking up in anger. Sneasel: Snea... SNEASEL! Chimchar rises to face Munna but Sneasel puts a hand out, stopping him. Jonathan: You want to fight, Sneasel? Sneasel: Snea, Sneasel! It nods and runs to Jonathan, standing beside him. Jonathan: Let's go, Quick Attack! As Sneasel speeds at Munna, the Pokemon curls into a ball, causing Sneasel to bounce off of it. Sneasel rubs his head as Munna uncurls. Gregory and Ben exit their tents, startled to see Jonathan engaged in battle. Greg: What the hell is going on out here? Jonathan: This thing's been eating my dreams for days, and this time we caught it in the act! Munna screams, casting vibrations into the air and sending energy into Sneasel. Sneasel flies into the air and is blasted again, slamming into the ground. Jonathan: Sneasel! His Pokemon stands up slowly, angered. Ben: Is Sneasel okay? It looks... Sneasel speeds into Munna, surprising it and knocking it back into a tree. Munna prepares itself as Sneasel runs at it from the left then suddenly vanishes. Uncurling, the floral patterned Pokemon stares in confusion until it's hit from behind. Munna flies forward, then turns around, scared. Jonathan: What move was that?! Ben: Looked like Feint Attack! Sneasel must've learned it during the fight! The trainer turns back to Sneasel, grinning. Jonathan: Let's take it out! Feint Attack! Sneasel runs at Munna from the right as it uses Sonic Boom again. It vanishes and reappears on the left, then on the right, striking Munna into a tree. Munna: M-Munna... Jonathan: Alright, let's do this! Poke Ball, go! He slings a Poke Ball at Munna, hitting its side. The ball opens and engulfs Munna in a red energy, sucking it in and slamming shut. It falls to the ground, shaking several times. Jon: Come on, come on... It stops, then emits a small ringing sound and a few star-like lights. He grins and picks it up. Jon: I did it, I caught Munna! His Pokemon cheer, but the Rowan brothers look annoyed. Greg: I understand you're excited, but... Can we please go back to sleep now? Jonathan nods, his face red with embarrassment. Jon: Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you guys up. They all silently go back to bed, and Jonathan's mind wanders as he slowly drifts off to sleep. His thoughts lingered on the still injured Shinx. What could've done that to it? The thought stays on his mind as he drifts to sleep, the camera fading away. Characters Humans *Jonathan *Benjamin *Gregory *Officers Pokemon *Chimchar (Jonathan's) *Sneasel (Jonathan's) *Munna (Jonathan's; captured) *Magnemite (Benjamin's) Category:Episodes